14. Owen

Chapter fourteen

Owen

I whistled as I entered my apartment after the taxi dropped me off. From the moment Damian walked into my office, it'd been a strange couple of days, but it was a nice sort of strange.

No, it was a freaking awesome sort of strange. Wizards and ghosts existed. I didn't think I'd ever spent much time thinking about that. When I was young, I imagined going to Hogwarts, just like any other kid back then, but I clearly didn't get into it as much as Damian's friends. They were so over the top about it and so wrong as well.

The silly behavior of the ghosts had been humorous. I could only imagine how hard it would be to have the living around, especially if they were pretending nonsense like the group tonight were.

Then again, I doubted those ghosts had experienced much human silliness since an actual wizard had lived in the home before Damian .

I got why they made fun of it all, and to be honest, it helped me stop being so afraid of them, although when the ghost disappeared through the wall when I'd been kissing Damian, it sent a cold chill through me.

I crawled into my bed and pulled the covers up to my chin, knowing it would get chilly before morning. I never minded that kind of cold at night though. To be honest, I preferred it. I hated being cold during the day, but at night, there wasn't much more wonderful than cuddling under a big pile of blankets.

In fact, I couldn't help but imagine cuddling with a certain wizard under the pile of blankets. Damian was clearly interested. That was obvious in the way he kissed me tonight.

I woke up feeling so happy the following day. I don't remember dreaming, but I had to assume it was good stuff, considering how good I felt.

I got out of bed, once again happy I did not need to work this weekend. I almost skipped a shower, thinking it might be a good grunge day, but then I hoped Damian might text and want to go out. So, I jumped in the shower and dressed.

When I glanced at my phone, it felt like my whole body smiled when I saw the text from Damian.

Him: You will not believe what happened here last night.

Me: Ghosts. You met more ghosts? Or did you find new ways to use your powers?

Him: Can you come over? You won't believe me if I just tell you.

I paused and then did a happy dance before I texted him back.

Me: Sure. I'll grab a taxi.

Him: No. Jeez, I forgot you don't have a car. I'll come get you. Hold tight.

I almost texted him that there was no need, but the thought of him coming to get me and taking care of me felt good.

Me: You sure? I can just hire a taxi.

Him: Yeah. I'm still a professional driver, so you can give me a tip later.

I laughed when the GIF of the cartoon character waggling his eyes came up.

I sent back a thumbs-up and went to brush my teeth. I almost dashed out of my apartment to get coffee, but I figured he'd let me treat him, so I waited until he arrived.

"Hey," I said, slipping into his front seat.

"Hey," he said, leaning over and inviting me to kiss him. Of course, I didn't hesitate to take him up on the invitation. I moaned happily as he pulled back. "So, you're going to be amazed at what happened."

"Cool, what?" I asked.

"Trust me, it's a show and tell, not a tell and show thing. Do you need coffee?" he asked.

I smiled. "The force is strong with you," I said, mimicking the Star Wars reference and getting an eye roll from him. "Yes, please, I need coffee. I figured I could treat us both."

He pulled into traffic, and we stopped at a strange little shop I hadn't been to before. He parked in front of the building, and when we got to the front, he said, "The day I met you, I came here by accident. I'd never been before. But it wasn't a coffee shop. It was a different building, and it said Magic Shop on the front. That's how all this started. Then, when I came back out, it had transformed into this."

I looked at the facade and shrugged. "Not much to look at," I said.

"True, but the coffee is so good. Come on. I'll show you."

We walked in, and I ordered my regular almond milk latte, and he ordered a cappuccino. The place wasn't crowded like it should be at this time of day in winter. I grabbed a muffin to split with Damian, and when the coffee was done, we went to sit by the front window.

I halved the muffin and then took a drink. "Wow," I said, my eyes growing wide. "This is like the best coffee in Seattle. Why isn't this place packed? "

"I might be new to all this, but I'm going to guess this is how they want it."

I looked over at the barista, a petite woman who appeared to be our age. She winked at me like she'd heard what Damian just said. It had to be magic if she did because we were on the other side of the room.

I made a mental note to keep my thoughts to myself in a world where people had superhero hearing.

"So, what did you want to show me?" I asked as Damian took a big bite of his share of the muffin.

When he swallowed, he sighed. "You really should see it to believe it, but I'll tell you this much: last night, I slept in the attic, and this morning, when I woke up, the house had changed."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Like, how did it change?" I asked.

He tossed the rest of the muffin in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "Come on, I'll show you," he said, forcing me to wrap my half of the muffin since I had yet to take a bite and grab my coffee to follow him out.

He told me he didn't mind if I ate in the car, so I finished the muffin on the way to his house. The house looked exactly the same to me.

"What's different?" I asked.

He just laughed. "Not on the outside. Come with me," he said, leading the way up to the porch.

He didn't use his key, but I heard the door unlatch when he turned the knob, clearly unlocking on its own. So bizarre .

When I walked in, I froze. The traditional layout was similar. The smaller rooms were still to the sides, with pocket doors leading to them, but where the dining room had been with walls separating the kitchen and butler's pantry, it was now open to the entryway.

"H-how?" I asked.

"Magic," Orville said as he drifted through the wall to our right.

"Magic? Can ghosts do magic?" I asked, and for the first time since I'd met him, Orville chuckled.

"That's a no, but Mr. Richards certainly can. However, I don't suspect this was done by you, sir," he said, addressing Damian. "I'm guessing this was a spell cast by Mr. Ericson, your predecessor."

"I dreamed it all," Damian said. "All night, I dreamed and saw the changes in my mind, but I had no idea they were happening."

"Well," I said, walking toward the now open-concept kitchen and dining area. "I approve of your dream design. This is beautiful. Oh," I said as I noticed the butler's pantry shelving was still intact, although the walls around it weren't. "You saved the old shelving."

Damian nodded. "Yeah, I saw something like this on a TV renovation series and remembered how much I loved it. It must've registered in my dream because this is how it was left."

I walked around the kitchen, admiring the intricacy. I had to imagine only a dream could come up with some of the whimsical elements. You had to look close to see the legs of the island splayed out to show unicorns on the ends.

My spirits lifted with the sight of the unicorns, and I smiled, thinking how much I'd always loved them. My room back home had been filled to the ceiling with stuffed unicorns until I'd started dating the hateful Mr. Strange. "I love it," I said, forcing the nasty thoughts of my ex out of my head. "Was the kitchen the only thing you did?"

"No, come into this room," Damian said, leading us into the parlor, which was still separated from the dining room with the same door. The room was still traditional and a little formal, but the old furniture had been replaced with more comfortable and modern pieces. It still matched the home's style, although if I were designing it, I'd probably have stuck with the formal stuff and turned the other rooms into the informal ones.

We walked through each room, and it was easy to see which ones Damian didn't care much about. The music room now had a fancy sound system and was super modern, which was sad. I didn't like old homes that had lost their historical charm.

The library was the biggest transformation. The shelves still held all the books, but the natural wood had been painted. "Ugh," I said before I realized I was saying that out loud.

"You don't like it?" Damian asked.

I forced a smile on my face. "I do, but it was so grand before. I liked the wood, but this isn't my home, it's yours, and the design and craftsmanship is well done. "

I noticed Orville watching me, his face impassive, but I also got the impression he agreed with my assessment. "What did you do with the upstairs?" I asked.

Damian shook his head. "I don't think I did anything. I haven't paid much attention to those rooms, and they weren't in my dreams."

I thought for a moment, then decided to take the bull by the horns. "Let me ask, will you ever have a lot of guests over?" I asked.

Damian shook his head. "Probably not. Why?"

"What about kids? Do you want a lot of children?"

Damian laughed. "No, not even if I were straight and could make them myself. I'm not one for raising kids."

I turned to Orville. "Do any of the ghosts, um, other residents, live in those rooms? Or are they mostly empty?"

Orville shrugged. "Most of the residents have established rooms in the basement. Others are distributed around other parts of the structure. No one uses the rooms on the second floor, not even the former wizard himself used them."

I smiled. "Come with me," I said as I led the way up the stairs to the second floor. "If you aren't going to use the second floor for guest rooms or your own family, why don't you create the modern living space up here? Especially if you've got the magic powers to do it." I said. We walked through the rooms, and I pointed out how he could turn them into a large living room, with a television and sound systems, that he could use without disturbing the historical integrity of the first floor. "

The more I talked, the happier Damian got. "I can see it, and yes, I like that too. It felt strange moving things around. He waved his hands to create it, then froze. "Oops, I forgot, I'm not supposed to use my powers for personal gain."

"I guess you'll have to sleep on it," I said, and Damian chuckled.

"Literally," he said, and before I knew it, he embraced me and kissed me again.

"Hopefully, I can return the first floor to what it was and then turn this into my living space. Which reminds me, Orville, what's the room off the kitchen?" Damian asked.

"Aah, it's a multitude of things, but things you shouldn't worry about yet. Mr. Ericson didn't want you to worry about all that until you were settled. Why don't you and Mr. Lloyd go collect your things? Once you have moved them to the residence, we can help you unpack."

"Oh, okay," Damian said, but I could tell he wasn't quite ready.

"Why don't we go over to your old place and assess the situation? There's no hurry to move in yet, is there?" I asked, and Orville's face showed that, in fact, there might be.

I didn't acknowledge his expression though. Something more was cooking here, and it wasn't my place to intervene, but yeah, if I could help smooth the transition, I'd happily do it .

As we drove to Damian's apartment, I thought again how serendipitous it was that I didn't have to work this weekend. Then I realized it probably wasn't a coincidence.

I smiled when I saw Damian's apartment. It was exactly what I imagined. I could see the rough edges I'd seen in the man I'd only just met but had begun to feel attached to. We walked around, and I couldn't help but feel how hard it would be to change, to leave, especially when he showed me his dad's belongings.

When we sat down on the worn furniture in his living room, I took his hand. "Listen, Damian, I'm not magical, but I am perceptive. I've always had that skill. I feel you need to transition sooner rather than later, and when we discussed that before, I could tell Orville wanted to say the same. Could you magic this stuff over to your new home?" I asked.

Damian chuckled. "No. I don't think so. I'm not sure it would be considered my gain to do so. I… When… Well, you know, when I was going to try to change the second floor when you talked about it earlier, I felt an instant need to stop. I think there's a fail-safe that keeps me from, you know, screwing up and doing magic I'm not supposed to. "

I smiled. "Why don't you try to move the apartment over to the second floor of your new home? You can change things around once it's there, and if you're not supposed to do that with magic, you have a house full of ghosts who seem keen to help."